Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) Upgraded by Wells Fargo & Company to “Hold” Rating

Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on UHS. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Universal Health Services from $233.00 to $212.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Universal Health Services from $245.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Stephens lowered their price target on Universal Health Services from $235.00 to $205.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Mizuho lowered their price target on Universal Health Services from $267.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Universal Health Services from $241.00 to $204.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Universal Health Services has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $218.63.

Universal Health Services Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:UHS opened at $142.60 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The business has a fifty day moving average of $173.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $201.48. The stock has a market cap of $8.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.94, a PEG ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.07. Universal Health Services has a 52-week low of $142.34 and a 52-week high of $246.32.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $5.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.41 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $4.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.39 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 19.57% and a net margin of 8.56%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.84 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Universal Health Services will post 23.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 8th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 3.33%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Health Services

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pzena Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Universal Health Services by 31.5% during the 4th quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 2,112,604 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $460,590,000 after acquiring an additional 505,575 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Universal Health Services by 12.1% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,781,262 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $318,812,000 after acquiring an additional 192,351 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its stake in Universal Health Services by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,226,577 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $219,520,000 after acquiring an additional 20,577 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Universal Health Services during the 4th quarter worth about $199,334,000. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted its stake in Universal Health Services by 59.5% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 871,377 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $189,978,000 after acquiring an additional 325,162 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Company Profile

Universal Health Services, Inc (NYSE: UHS) is one of the largest diversified health care management companies in the United States, offering a broad spectrum of services through its acute care hospital and behavioral health segments. The company operates general acute care hospitals, surgical hospitals and ambulatory centers, as well as inpatient and outpatient behavioral health facilities. Its network provides emergency and specialized medicine, diagnostic imaging, laboratory services, advanced surgical care and rehabilitation, complemented by a comprehensive array of behavioral services including psychiatric treatment, addiction programs and developmental disabilities care.

In the acute care segment, UHS’s facilities deliver services ranging from emergency department treatment and intensive care to maternity care and outpatient surgery.